Moments

“They say” live in the moment. Well… this can be hard when that moment is challenging… when that moment is difficult.

My day is made up of moments—a bunch of moments pieced together. Some moments are so happy that I may burst. In other moments, I have so much anger—even rage—that I don’t know how to hold it together… and sometimes I don’t.

There are times I find myself in a fit because my toddler woke up the sleeping infant. I was finally having somewhat of a break as the baby was peacefully sleeping, until my toddler poked her in the nose.

Then there are the times when they test my limits beyond belief and do something like draw a mural on the wall or hurt their sibling. Maybe they look us right in the eye, and talk back with a serious attitude when we ask them to complete a simple task. The fury that rises up inside of me in moments like these is like a volcano ready to explode.

Then there are those times which I want to keep in my heart forever, like when my son snuggles up to me and puts his little hand gently on my neck.

There are times when my heart is so full of love it may explode, like when we watch them share a toy with another child for the first time.

Or, when they say something which surprises us. I recall there was a time when I was crying because I had reached my wit’s end… yet again. My toddler looked at me and said, “Don’t cry Mommy. It will be okay.”

Or, the times when our children repeat something we have been trying to teach them, but weren’t sure until that moment that they took it to heart. Maybe they do something to demonstrate a particular value which is very important to us, like when we watch them reach out to another child who is playing alone.

Sometimes these extremes—the happy and angry moments—are immediately following each other. Some days I wonder, Is this what it means to have multiple personalities?

For instance, one moment my oldest is crying out from her room as soon as I had fallen asleep myself. I jolt out of bed angry because of my lack of sleep. The next moment, I tell her to think of something that makes her happy. She tells me she is happy when she plays with her brother. Then, my heart melts.

In the end, we have to remember all of these times are just… moments. They will pass. The bad moments will soon be gone. The good moments are fleeting too.

So for now, I will try to wait for the bad moments to pass and hold onto the good ones for as long as I can. Because—as I keep being told—soon these babies will grow up and all the good, amazing, and bad moments will be a thing of the past. Then, I bet I will miss them all.

This hit me, I am a single mom with two of the most sweetest boys I could ask for. There are moments I want to last forever but don’t and some moments that seem like it would last forever, but never do. Thank you for this post because all of these are just moments the good and the bad they all past.

Hi Lanesha! Thank you so much for sharing! I couldn’t agree more. I also find myself wishing for the tough moments to pass and wishing the great moments would last longer. Remembering they are just moments helps me get through the tough ones and be more present in the good. We are all in this parenting thing together!

Hi Peter! Yes! I feel so blessed that I am able to have all of these moments, the good and the tough. There are definitely two ways of looking at everything. Thank you for sharing that perspective. Sometimes it is so easy to see the negative over the positive. It is so important to hang in there as the good moments do come.

I struggle with this because as a mom of 2 busy kids i’m always driving them to activities, playdates and park. Add naps, meals and snacks, plus bath and several change of clothes a day it feels like i’m a sergeant managing an army…lol. I try to purposely slow down sometimes so we can enjoy the moment!!

Hi Sonila! You are speaking my mind! It can be so busy trying to manage all of the schedules and activities. It is easy to get wrapped up in it all and forget to take a moment to breathe and enjoy. Thank you so much for your comment. I can relate!

Welcome to my blog. I am a licensed school counselor turned stay-at-home mom and writer. I have three wonderful children. I love the water, baking, getting creative, and traveling, especially to new places. I have a bachelor’s degree in science (Psychology major and Sociology minor), and a master’s degree in counselor education (M.Ed.). I wouldn’t call myself a parenting expert exactly, but I believe all parents are experts at raising their own children. After all, no one knows your kids better than you! My blog is about what “they say”—what we hear and read—versus what “we say”: using our own intuition. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.